School enrolment, pass rates up
6 June 2003
South Africa has made significant progress in the last nine years in improving the quality of and access to education, targeting particularly the poor and disadvantaged groups.
Education Minister Kader Asmal, speaking in Parliament in Cape Town on Wednesday, said that net enrolment in primary education in South Africa was now higher than 95 percent.
"This is high compared even to many developed countries. And since 1999, there has been an average annual increase in the pass rate (ie. those who passed expressed as a proportion of those who wrote) of six percentage points. In other words, the pass rate has increased from 48.8 percent in 1999 to 68.9 percent in 2002."
He said that funding policies intended to improve the situation of poor schools were working well and showing good results.
Asmal said a major part of his department's focus had been the introduction of the revised National Curriculum Statements, which would be
introduced in the Foundation Phase, Grades R to 3, next year.
"This curriculum revision has two goals. One is to simplify the curriculum outcomes statements, so that all teachers can understand and use them properly. These have been published in all 11 official languages, as well as Braille, to ensure there are no misunderstandings, and we have provided assessment standards for each outcome."
He said each teacher in the respective grades had been provided with a guide that gives advice on turning outcome statements into learning programmes suitable for pupils.
In order to prepare Foundation Phase teachers for next year, the department had appointed a core team of 20 people – academics, NGOs and departmental officials –who are currently providing training to curriculum officials, said Asmal.
He said in respect of early childhood development, his department had started a process two years ago to roll out the implementation of Grade R, the school reception
year.
"More than 200 000 children are enrolled in Grade R at schools and community facilities around the country. This should increase by 10 to 20 percent each year over the next six or seven years, and by 2010 we expect that the full complement of approximately one million Grade R pupils will be catered for.
"At present thousands of Grade R kits are being distributed around the country, and the training and upgrading of 4 500 educators in all provinces is about to commence."
Source: BuaNews
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